Scripture:
II Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV
[1] I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: [2] Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; [4] and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. [5] But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Observation:
I have this passage of scripture. It’s one that I visit regularly. In fact, it has been written about on this SOAP more than once. I believe it’s something we need to hear. Especially as we draw nearer and nearer to the return of Christ, and just in case you can’t see it, that time is quickly approaching. So, I want to tell you why I feel like this scripture is so vital as Christ prepares for HIS return. You see, the question that HE is going to ask all of us is, “What did you do with what I gave you, and I want you to be equipped to answer that question. So let’s see what is being said. The letters to Timothy were written by Paul to guide him as he embarked on the journey of pastoring a church. Timothy was a young man and would be easily set off course by those who wanted to hear the fluffy stuff had Paul not taken the time to set him on the right path right out of the gate. So, Paul, being a seasoned apostle at this point, made sure Timothy was equipped for the task by telling him to ” Preach the word.” Don’t sway from it. This statement was so essential that Paul felt it necessary to prelude it with a reminder of the fact that he will stand before GOD and Christ to answer for the things said from the pulpit. That point brings me to the letter that James wrote. In chapter 3 of his letter, he says, ” Not many of you should presume to be teachers, because we know that teachers will be held at a higher level of accountability.” That takes the coveted positions of pastor, preacher, and teacher and brings a note of seriousness to them. The charge that Paul gave Timothy was totally necessary and out of nothing but love. It was a warning. “Don’t get away from the word.” Stick tight to what GOD has said and be ready to do so at all times. As he continues to prepare young Timothy for the challenges ahead. Paul tells the young pastor the reason it’s important to stay close to what the word says. Not only is Timothy going to be responsible for what he does with what he has been given but he is going to have to say things that people will not like. The second half of verse 2 says, ” Convince, rebuke, and exhort with longsuffering. That statement always catches my ear. The word convince is one to zero in on along with rebuke. It brings my mind to the book of Proverbs which says, “All a man’s ways SEEM right to him, but in the end lead to death. Paul knew the path ahead of Timothy was not going to be an easy one. He was going to have to stick tight to GOD’S word and tell people that their ways were not right. He was going to have to tell them to correct their heart. But in the long run, and at the end of that verse, there is a positive note. Exhortation, you see, Timothy would have to convince and rebuke, yes, but he was also to build them up. He would have to convince them to let some things go that were not needed by rebuking the behavior, and then install new, good, godly principles. That’s the job that Timothy was taking on. It wasn’t to say what people wanted to hear. He was charged with saying what they didn’t want to hear. Convincing them that GOD’S way was the only way, and then building them up in that. Verses 3 and 4 are the times we are at. Times when preachers stand on stages, with elevated perceptions of themselves, tickling the ears of the masses. Because no one wants to hear the truth. Cherrypicking the word of GOD to fluff the congregation’s ears. Afraid of making the people mad. The last verse in today’s scripture is a key. Paul tells Timothy to be watchful, endure what is coming, and fulfill your ministry. What is being said is, “DON’T TWEEK THE WORD.”
Application:
When I finally surrendered to GOD. I wanted my life to change. I didn’t need some pastor standing up on a stage telling me I was ok. I needed convincing that the way I was living was not right. I needed to be told that there is another way, and then I needed to be told what that way was. I was looking to be equipped for good works. It’s easy to be coddled. But the fluffy words don’t change our hearts We need pastors who are willing to not be liked. Pastors who will preach the WORD, and not their opinion. To make sure that happens, GOD has given all the opportunity to not only own a bible, but to take it off the shelf, knock the dust off of it, and read it. It’s our responsibility to seek a deeper relationship with GOD through HIS word. Oh, sure, we can go to church and hear an opinion and probably get our ears tickled, drink a little milk that a pastor has whipped up. But there is no replacement for personal time in GOD’S WORD. I’m just going to put it as straight as I possibly can. It’s not a time to just trust what we hear in church. It’s a time to dig in for ourselves. Your favorite preacher or teacher might be an ear tickler. If you only walk away with your toes stomped on he is missing the mark. Honestly what we need is preachers who are willing to shoot an arrow to our hearts. Preachers who are willing to tell us how to love our neighbors. Preachers who will not worry about building their kingdom and build THE KINGDOM. Preachers who will say Look we are lukewarm. We are worried about what people see us doing taken pictures of our services rather than doing it with a heart to serve. I do not want to be the one who has to stand before GOD ALMIGHTY and say,” but I said what they wanted to hear.” I have to stick to the word of GOD, and not some cherry-picked watered-down version. If my heart is wrong and it doesn’t get corrected by the pastor of the church. Then he is an ear tickler. The letter to the Hebrews says that GOD’S word is sharper than any two-edged sword, able to separate bone from marrow. It’s made to operate on our hearts, not step on our toes. The best teacher I have ever found, the teacher that saved my life and put me on the right track, the teacher that stamped my life and wrote my name in the Lamb’s book is the one and only Holy Spirit. Check everything your pastor teaches you against the unfiltered word of GOD. Don’t let them tickle your ears. If you want your life to change. Make them aim for a heart change. Don’t just settle for fluffy cherry-picked sermons that change nothing and leave you feeling as though fornication is ok. Modify your life to fit the word of GOD. Don’t modify the word of GOD to fit your life.
Prayer:
Father, your word is truth. Help us know it. Ingrain in us a deep desire to understand it clearly. To read it ourselves. We don’t want dusty Bibles. We don’t want them to be well-preserved. We want our Bibles to be worn out, well-read, and not just written on our hearts but engraved there, just like our name is engraved on the palm of our hand. Never to be erased. We don’t want our ears tickled. We want our hearts to change. When we ask for your word to be the lamp to our feet we are asking you to give us preachers who will stick to the word and stay away from their opinion of what it says. We are asking that you speak and not them. You are running a rescue mission at the gates of hell. That doesn’t sound fluffy to me. We need your truth. Show us how to love our neighbors. Not just ignore their needs because it fits in our sermon or explain away why we shouldn’t help those who need us, but convict our hearts so that they will line up with your heart for us. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.